John Tortorella didn’t even greet Patrik Laine when they saw each other for the first time
Marc-Olivier Cook
For better or for worse…
Patrik Laine – who was a guest on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast – spoke about his relationship with his former coach and recounted the time when the two men met for the first time.
The Canadiens player remembers it… Because at the time, Torts hadn’t even said hello before throwing him this line:
We had a game that night. I had never seen him and all he said to me was: “Don’t mess up on the ice tonight!” – Patrik Laine
Laine also recounted that in his third game with the Blue Jackets, Tortorella benched him because the player hadn’t responded appropriately to a coach.
That’s when he realized he had to stay in line with Torts:
You don’t necessarily expect that kind of welcome when you join a new team… And you also don’t expect your coach to talk to you that way when it’s the very first time you see him.
He said that the Canadiens’ doctors were worried that his season might be over after his injury in training camp, but that’s not all:
Things improved later on: he was on a pace of one point per game in 21-22 (56 points in 56 games) and had success in 22-23 as well (52 points in 55 games)… But for him, it wasn’t important because the team wasn’t winning.
2. Taking a break from hockey to focus on what wasn’t going well in his life was beneficial for him. He states that it was the best decision of his life, and today he is thankful because he has found happiness again.
3. Just before taking a break to recharge… Laine thought about giving it all up.
He sees a therapist three times a week since that moment to talk about what is going well and what isn’t, and he says he is happier than ever right now.
The love he receives from fans and his teammates in Montreal plays a role in all of this, by the way. Laine says that playing for the Canadiens is “really” special:
ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER PATRIK LAINE POWER PLAY GOAL
pic.twitter.com/HW9IvjRtlz
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 19, 2025
He wasn’t sure that Finland would invite him to participate in the event taking place in a few weeks because he hadn’t played for a while at the time teams were announced, but he is happy because he wants to prove he is still one of the best sharpshooters on the planet.
That’s total b*llshit! – Patrik Laine
However, he claims that he played a lot of video games in Winnipeg because he didn’t necessarily want to go out to see other people.
On his days off, he could sometimes start playing at 8:30 AM… Until midnight!
A little background on Laine and Fortnite. He and Ehlers buy TVs on the road so they can play together: https://t.co/XgIgnpm0JI
— Scott Brown (inactive) (@BrownieScott) October 3, 2018
And it’s well-deserved after what he has experienced in recent years.
In Brief
– Yeah! Win or lose tonight against the Lightning?
It’s Habs game day
pic.twitter.com/SI4OEbbU7Q
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 21, 2025
– Indeed.
Alex Ovechkin on Connor McDavid’s suspension: “Sucks for him. Good for us.”
— Bailey Johnson (@BaileyAJohnson_) January 21, 2025
– It’s understandable. But he will have to make another call too.
Le défenseur ne veut pas oublier sa contre-performance contre les Leafs https://t.co/kGNQpCXLwz
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) January 21, 2025
– Incredible…
L’enclos du club sera complètement fou.
Tout comme le reste de la formation, d’ailleurs. https://t.co/NkunaHSC9T
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) January 21, 2025